[Archived] PREFERENCE

[den]

there's no philosophy, strategy, game plan, end game...... that's the problem(or one of!!) they're just stumbling through the days hoping for the best, still seemingly not realising that every single person they take advice from is only offering it because they want something out of it for themselves.

There absolutely is a strategy.

The ability of a coach to bring in cheap players and make a profit on them, is being put ahead of employing proven managers who can not only coach, but assemble a balanced squad of players and mould them into a winning team. The proof for this? Well A top manager sacked within 3 weeks to be replaced by Kean - a coach. A coach, prepared as Venkys always planned, to oust an entire PL squad. He replaced them with inferior players, relegated us, yet never got sacked. A brief flirt with Berg and Appleton, then back to another coach, who despite making no progress appears unsackeable just like Kean was.

Bowyer might have "stabilised" us at the moment, but IMO, if Venkys see this as a long term plan - which I think they do - things will only get worse. Much worse.

[47er]

One point I will make is that Venkys strategy has nothing to do with football, but everything to do with money.

Butilding a squad gradually(not dismantling it) and getting promoted is a football strategy and therefore of no interest and no significance to Venkys.

To run a football club needs both business acumen and football passion/knowledge.

They do not have the brains to see that if they developed a football strategy and gained promotion the business angle would solve itself.

They could then hopefully recoup and "go away."

Their experiences with Kean/Anderson has taught them nothing other than to distrust people and run the same strategy with even less direct involvement. Crazy.

[Amo]

There's nothing wrong with adopting an 'Ajax-style' model, in fact you could argue it's preferable for a club of Rovers' size. With the facilities it has available, we really should be expecting a better return from our academy. Therefore I could understand the continental approach, hire a head coach and have him develop players with a view to sustainable success financially whilst remaining competitive on the pitch. Venky's were ill-advised and swallowed all the tripe about players like Rochina & Formica being exciting prospects and Kean bringing through the likes of Hoilett, Lowe, Olsson etc. for megabucks. However, survival should've been key, and the fact they stood by and did absolutely nothing as the club nosedived out of the Premier League remains unforgivable. People like to argue that even under Uncle Jack we experienced relegation, but if any comparison between the two isn't egregious enough, Jack at least tried to stop the rot by sacking Hodgson. Granted, his faith in Kidd turned out to be misplaced, but at least he did something to turn things around. Venky put the interests of Kean & his conspirators before the fans and most damningly before the club.

Anyway, yes I would endorse the idea if we had the luxury of playing in the PL, the right people at the helm, and the right infrastructure to facilitate it, but I can't see the sense in consolidating in lower league obscurity with an ever-increasing money sink, to make relative peanuts on a few players. That isn't a viable business strategy at all.

[den]

Nothing at all wrong with developing young players, but like you say, it has to be done in the academy. That's nothing like what's gone on here and is still going on. It appears that as long as the manager can get the message to Pune, that things are going well on the player development front, I.e player value rising - whether it's true or not - results are allowed to suffer because they're just not bright enough to see past their nose.

[Iceman]

The problem is not really selling to make a profit, in fact that is quite good if you pick up players on the cheap, develop them, and sell them on.

However, when you have as much debt as what we have, naturally to reduce the debt quickly, is to get promoted, pick up a substantial amount for getting promoted and take it from there. So to answer this, it should always be about getting out of this division and into the PL where all the money is. Once you in the PL, then you can try and find sponsors, better shirt deals, the crowd will hopefully return to Ewood, more Merchandise is sold, TV money etc etc

This should have been the aim, instead we stumbled and fumbled our way to mid table mediocrity,because we couldnt see that A the manager is out of his depth, and B the individual in the board room was not allowed to sack or incapable of sacking him.

[tomphil]

An Ajax style model definitely would have been great and perfect for a club our size. To make it work though you need a style of football and a philosophy running right through the club from top to bottom. We can't even identify a regular nor effective style for a mid table championship team.

It's also something that would take years to implement and do we have the correct personnel on all levels to do that or do we just have cheap stop gaps ? To be fair I think that type of thing is what Jack had in mind and had he been around for another ten years I think things along those lines would have been implemented. Sadly after his death all the focus and most of the finance was directed to keep the first team competitive in the Prem, quite rightly.

[thenodrog]

We didn't have to sell Shearer mate. Many offers came in for him, Liverpool and Man United to name a couple, of which both offered more than what Newcastle paid for Shearer, and Jack refused to sell. The only reason Shearer left was because Shearer told Jack that he wanted to leave because he wanted to play for Newcastle. Jack took him away to Jersey and offered to double his wages but Shearer just wanted to play for Newcastle.

There is an awful lot of conjecture in your post ads.

With Gary Bowyer saying its all about selling for a profit these days and plenty on here happy with stability and saying we are going forward it got me thinking...(we need a poll ,none running ) .

As a Rovers FAN what do you want from us most....

A. To sell players for a profit (as seems to be the remit from the lunes at the expense of promotion etc. )

B. To win matches and gain promotion.

I know I want to win more than sell our players for profit. I know what needs doing before any stabilist prattles on at me .

Easy said when it's not your money, your business or your responsibility though isn't it Abbey? It ceases to be Fantasy Football when the bills need paying every month.

Bowyer might have "stabilised" us at the moment, but IMO, if Venkys see this as a long term plan - which I think they do - things will only get worse. Much worse.

So difficult to make money out of players these days. Football is being eaten away by parasitical player's and agents. I see little by way of a future for BRFC and many other clubs too if I'm to be honest.

[ABBEY]

wrong for wanting their team to win?